


The Paper Hearts

by FlyofDragon



Series: one holiday at a time [3]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alex Manes Loves Michael Guerin, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff with feelings, M/M, Michael Guerin Deserves Nice Things, Michael Guerin Needs a Hug, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29474355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyofDragon/pseuds/FlyofDragon
Summary: “You want to what?” she asked.“Out-holiday him,” Alex repeated. "I want to give him Valentine’s Day."--Michael conquered Christmas. Alex is going to get Valentine's Day.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: one holiday at a time [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164944
Comments: 8
Kudos: 65





	The Paper Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Because a weekend of Valentine's Day fics wasn't enough, I also needed to continue in the 'verse featuring The Christmas Tree and The Reindeer Antlers. Enjoy! xx

Michael hadn’t officially moved into Alex’s house after Christmas, but he spent more time there than he did in his Airstream. It was one of the nights Michael was staying in the Airstream (for maintaining healthy boundaries in the early stages of their relationship) that Alex got the idea. Mostly he got the idea because, despite wearing a hoodie and having an extra blanket, he felt cold without Michael pressed up against his side.

It started as a small idea. As he waited for his kettle to boil, hoping that some tea would warm him up, he looked up instructions for how to make an origami heart. There were some complicated designs but he found one that looked fairly simple. While his tea was steeping, he took a piece of paper and cut it into a square. It took a few attempts and the entirety of his cup of tea, but he finally folded the paper into a heart. On one side he wrote _“I love”_ and on the other he wrote _“the way he keeps me warm at night”_.

Alex left the paper heart on Michael’s pillow the next day so he could see it when he came over. When Michael did see it, he kissed Alex with enough fervour to leave them both breathless.

“What’s this for?” Michael asked.

Alex shrugged. “I got cold last night without you,” he said. “You do run hot Guerin.”

Michael just beamed at the paper heart before crowding himself into Alex’s space again to kiss him breathless. Again. That was when Alex got the bigger idea.

He stopped by the Pony the next day to run his idea by Maria. “You want to what?” she asked.

“Out-holiday him,” Alex repeated. “You know how he was with Christmas. In fact, you helped him with Christmas. I want to give him Valentine’s Day.”

“You do know that Valentine’s Day is still like, three weeks away, right?”

“It’s a slow burn type of gift,” Alex explained. “Come on, I just need your opinion on whether you think this will go well or not.”

Maria set her inventory clipboard down on the bar and took Alex’s hands in hers. “Alex, I love you dearly,” she said. “But you gotta start trusting your romantic instincts.”

Alex winced. “They haven’t always served me well,” he said.

“They’ve always led you to Michael Guerin though,” she told him.

“Exactly.”

Maria swatted one of his hands. “You two have always been meant for each other. You just needed to find the right moment. This is it.” Alex didn’t look convinced. “Look, okay, you want an answer about your plan?” Alex nodded. “It’s perfect. If he reacted that way to one heart, he’s only going to react better to thirty more. Guerin is secretly the softest person around. He will melt like butter for this.”

So Alex was convinced that he could pull off his plan and that Michael would like it. He went to the one and only craft store in Roswell and bought stacks of red, pink, and white paper. He also took a paper roll. It wasn’t until after he loaded his new craft supplies into his car that he realized he had no idea how to keep it all hidden from Michael. Then he had a thought. There was still one bunker Michael didn’t know about.

Out at the cabin, Alex had found a more accessible entrance to the bunker. He figured there had to be one; how else did Jim get all the furniture in? So Alex carried his supplies into the bunker and set up a table for himself. He had a craft table. He was an Air Force Captain who had served three tours, dismantled an unauthorized operation, rebuilt said operation with a new purpose, and he had a _craft table_. Project Valentine’s Day was a go.

Michael found the second heart when he went to get him and Alex more beer from the fridge that night. _“I love”_ read the front, _“the way his curls fall into his eyes”_ read the back. Michael forgot about the beer in favour of returning to kiss Alex.

_“I love…watching him work”_ was tucked into his toolbox one day. Michael sent a photo of it and a string of heart emojis to Alex.

Down in his own bunker he found _“I love…how smart he is.”_

He found _“I love…the macho cowboy swagger thing”_ in his hat one morning. Michael laughed at that one and the memory that surfaced from it.

_“I love…driving out to the desert with him”_ was stuck to his steering wheel and _“I love…our memories”_ was attached to the door of the Airstream. Michael absolutely did not tear up when he read those.

With his schedule the way it was and with trying not to alert Michael to the grand gesture part of the plan, Alex couldn’t spend too long in the cabin at one time. So he took frequent, but short trips out there. His carbon footprint was seriously increasing but it was all in the name of love. Maybe he’d convince Michael to install some solar panels to make up for it.

_“I love…playing music with him”_ was slipped under Michael’s guitar strings.

_“I love…the warmth of his eyes”_ was taped to the bathroom mirror.

He went almost a whole day before Isobel raised an eyebrow at the heart safety pinned to his t-shirt. _“I love…the way he wears his heart on his sleeve.”_

A week before Valentine’s Day, Michael finally asked Alex about it.

“What do you want to know?” said Alex.

“Everything,” Michael said. “Anything. What’s your endgame?”

Alex kissed him softly. “No endgame,” he said. “Just telling you some things I love about you.”

The next day, Michael found a heart resting on top of one of his boots. _“I love…his curiosity.”_

He stayed in the Airstream the next night and found several hearts on his bed.

_“I love…how soft his lips are.”_

_“I love…the gentleness of his touch.”_

_“I love…how cuddly he is.”_

_“I love…watching him sleep.”_

_“I love…taking him apart.”_

Upon reading the last one, Michael decided he really didn’t need to stay in the Airstream that night and he drove to Alex’s as fast as he could. He was shameless really. Of course he hadn’t accounted for finding more hearts when he got there.

_“I love…holding his hand.”_

_“I love…sleeping next to him.”_

_“I love…watching movies with him.”_

_“I love…sharing my space with him.”_

Alex was sitting up in bed, waiting for Michael. Michael promptly dropped all pretence of acting cool and launched himself at Alex to kiss him soundly into next week. Alex wrapped an arm around Michael to flip him onto his back, never breaking from their kiss for too long. This plan of Alex’s was a _great_ idea.

Michael found more hearts over the next few days. He found _“I love…his taste in music”_ taped to his truck radio and _“I love…when he cooks for me”_ sitting in the middle of Alex’s stove. He liked the light-hearted ones. But he loved the deeper sentimental ones.

_“I love…holding his heart.”_

_“I love…having him hold my heart.”_

_“I love…being with him.”_ He might have completely sobbed over that one but there was no one around to prove it. He had his macho cowboy swagger thing to maintain.

And then, on Valentine’s Day, he received one more paper heart. _“I love…spending holidays with him.”_ A square of paper was under the heart when he found it so he picked it up and read it. _“My house, 7:30. Bring the hearts. Don’t be late cowboy.”_

Michael was on Alex’s doorstep at 7:29 exactly.

For once, he ran the doorbell instead of unlocking the door himself. Alex greeted him with a kiss and pulled him inside, only to press him against the back of the door.

Alex was definitely not nervous. Not at all. Except that he was because his plan was kind of a big deal and he really didn’t do holidays. Especially not romantic holidays. And what if it all went horribly wrong. He reluctantly pulled himself away from Michael and led him into the living room. Michael gasped.

Alex had bought letter sized paper from the craft store and he needed squares to make the hearts. So with the leftover pieces, he made a paper garland and hung it on his wall in the shape of a heart. Between the heart and the wall was a large piece of the paper roll with some carefully placed pieces of tape and two more paper hearts.

“Can I…?” Michael trailed off breathlessly.

Alex nodded. “And you need to add your hearts to it,” he said.

Michael slowly walked over to the giant poster and read the last two hearts.

_“I love…that he never looks away.”_

_“I love…never looking away from him.”_

There was no hiding the tears this time so Alex came over and kissed them away. “Help me with this?” Michael asked, holding up the bag filled with his paper hearts.

“Of course,” Alex said. They stuck the hearts to the pieces of tape and Alex tried not to let Michael see the pattern. He did, but not until they had only a few hearts left. When they finished attaching the hearts, Alex took Michael’s hand and tugged him back a few steps to see the finished product.

I LOVE YOU was spelled out in paper hearts with the paper garland heart surrounding the word ‘love’.

Michael choked back a sob. “Hey,” Alex said softly, wrapping his arms around him. “Is it too much? I was worried it would be but I really wanted to just tell you how much I love you.”

Michael curled himself into Alex’s arms as best he could and clung to Alex’s shirt. He took a few deep breaths to get himself centered. “It’s not too much,” he said. “I just…all the hearts. All the notes. I’ve never felt so…loved.” He kissed Alex then and Alex brought one hand to Michael’s cheek. “And…I love you too. So much.” The tears were falling still but Michael didn’t care. He just kissed Alex again. And again. And again.

Alex had other plans for the night. Plans involving dinner, some good beer, maybe a song or two on their guitars. But he didn’t care what the rest of his plans were. He kept Michael tucked into his side as he led them down the hallway to his bedroom. He laid Michael out on the bed, _their_ bed, and took them both out of their jeans (for comfort really). He took off his prosthetic and pulled Michael back in to curl up to his side. They stayed there until Michael’s emotions had subsided enough for him to decide that they were wearing too many clothes. Many “I love you”s and orgasms later, it was midnight and their stomachs reminded them that they hadn’t eaten yet.

“I had _plans_ you know,” Alex said when Michael complained of being hungry.

“Are you blaming my emotions for derailing those plans?” Michael asked.

Alex propped himself up on one elbow. “Absolutely,” he said. “Luckily I’m always happy to work around your emotions.”

Michael’s stomach rumbled again. “Want to see if Rosa will let us into the Crashdown?” he asked. “She’s usually up late.”

Alex kissed Michael once and then pulled back before they could get carried away. “Sounds perfect,” he said.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr! @writingbisexually


End file.
